subject: Top Tips For Working Holiday Japan Vacations [print this page] You can only hope to bring home the best memories from a working holiday Japan experience. That is however, if you make the effort to remember and follow some top tips for a great stay. Here are four major points to commit to memory.
Keep to the Rules
Some people may be unaware that visas for working holidays are special documents. They cannot be treated or used in the same way as tourist or work visas. If you want to work for good or for a very long time in Japan, what you need to apply for is not a working holiday visa but a work visa.
If you do qualify for a special visa and get approved for it, there are more rules to take note of when it comes to stay restrictions. For one, working holiday visas have specific duration restrictions. You may only be allowed to stay in the country for six to twelve months. You could look into possible provisions for extended stay if you wish to apply for it and stay longer while holding on to your special visa.
Follow Your Plans
Before you can be approved for a special entry, you are required to make detailed plans. Your plans should take into consideration that your visit should primarily revolve around enjoying a vacation. Getting a job is only a secondary bonus.
When you've got your plans ready, it's crucial to promise to yourself to follow them. At no point during your working holiday Japan stay can you change your direction towards employment hunting. The real reason behind this is that the experience is really intended to help you appreciate the Japanese way of life more. There is no better way to do this than to work right at the heart of your host town or city.
Study Japanese
It's not an absolute requirement to know the Japanese language to get around or to get accepted in a job. Nonetheless, you should consider learning it because your knowledge will give you a clear edge over other job seekers. Work places in Japan still serve the local populace so employers would naturally want to hire workers who can communicate well with customers.
Like other applicants preparing to apply for working holiday visas, you can put some effort into educating yourself. The good news is that Japanese is no longer as hard to learn as before. You can use such great tools as online exchange programs, software and chat tutorials.
Look Into the Culture
It is crucial for you to familiarize yourself with the general aspects of Japanese life. This is especially if you are accepted in a job that will require you to live where you work. Not being familiar with how things run might put you at risk of offending co-workers and bosses. In some job sites for instance, workers are required to sleep together in a common dormitory. If you are a naturally loud or bubbly person, you may have to tone down your voice and activities in deference to more reserved dorm mates.
A working holiday in Japan will truly be worth your time. If you want to make sure that you get to enjoy your stay though, you need to keep these tips firmly rooted in your mind while you are in the country. They should be enough to help you make the right decisions.
